Jalapeño Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs are one of my favorite party snacks to make. People make fun of them a little bit — they have a reputation for being old-fashioned  or giving you farts and egg-breath — and perhaps there’s a nugget of truth there, but good lord, deviled eggs are delicioso!

Deviled eggs in their basest form are made with mayonnaise, mustard, some cayenne pepper, salt. They get their name from the association of hot and spicy foods with the Devil. Often people add onion, pickles, capers, hot sauce, herbs, horseradish, and every family surely has a member who makes a “famous” deviled egg recipe of their own creation. This basic deviled eggs recipe is a great place to start from and if you’re interested in coming up with your own “famous” deviled eggs, there are some ideas below the recipe card!

(Start with hard boiled eggs, of course. Learn how to boil eggs here!)

Deviled Eggs, Reinvented!

Now to get krazy! Using the same basic ratio above (6 eggs : 3-4 tablespoons binder) make your egg yolk mash, then season with other ingredients that appeal to you. Have fun with it by starting with 6 eggs, then dividing the yolk mixture into 3 parts and seasoning each differently to find the perfect combination for you!

Pick a binder

This is the gooey ingredient that fills out the mashed yolks and adds some flavor:

• Mayonaise
• Creme fraiche
• Thick plain yogurt
• Avocado
• Cream cheese
• Creamed cottage cheese
• Green goddess dressing (suggested by Zander Fancypants on YouTube)

Pick a piquant

Eggs need something tart and tangy to cut the richness; pick one or two of these:

• Dill pickle relish
• Sweet pickle relish
• Capers
• Mustard (yellow, Dijon, grainy, deli)
• Horseradish (prepared)
• Minced pickled jalapeños
• Minced sweet pickled jalapeños
• Minced black or green olives
• Pimientos
• Hot sauce or salsa
• Chipotles in adobo (suggested by AnMooose on YouTube)

Pick a fresh

Something to brighten the flavor; pick one or two:

• Lemon juice
• Fresh dill, cilantro, tarragon, or parsley
• Minced green onion
• Minced celery and/or celery leaves
• Minced fresh jalapeño

Season well

Start with a few shakes of salt then add pinches of one or more of these:

• Black pepper
• Cayenne pepper
• Ground cumin
• Turmeric
• Celery seed
• Dill seed
• Paprika
• Smoked paprika
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Minced dried onion (suggested by Bill on Facebook)

For extra-fancy eggs, I’ve seen people add minced smoked salmon to the yolks, or anchovies. I’ve even seen eggs with the yolks discarded, and instead the egg white holes are filled with pico de gallo. They are tasty, indeed, and a low-cholesterol solution to a craving for deviled eggs!

For an extra fun twist, try my pickled deviled eggs recipe! They are so awesome!